Child care attendant vs child care counselor

The differences between child care attendants and child care counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a child care counselor has an average salary of $36,843, which is higher than the $27,542 average annual salary of a child care attendant.

The top three skills for a child care attendant include CPR, customer service and meal prep. The most important skills for a child care counselor are CPR, child care, and behavioral issues.

Child care attendant vs child care counselor overview

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Counselor
Yearly salary	$27,542	$36,843
Hourly rate	$13.24	$17.71
Growth rate	36%	9%
Number of jobs	156,197	100,538
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	48	42
Years of experience	-	4

What does a child care attendant do?

Also called childcare workers, childcare attendants attend to children at private households, schools, businesses, and childcare institutions. Childcare attendants dress, bathe, feed, and oversee children. They manage and monitor children's safety in whatever way. It is part of their duties and responsibilities to organize learning activities and enforce a curriculum that allows children to explore their interests. They have to be equipped with necessary skills like decision making, communication, monitoring, being patient, and being enthusiastic.

What does a child care counselor do?

Child care counselors monitor the progress of children who have behavioral, physical, and mental issues in between counseling appointments. These counselors create daily schedules for children that include field trips, play dates, and learning plans to ensure that children get the most out of their days. They use their critical thinking skills, organizational skills, and interpersonal skills to deal with children diagnosed with psychological issues and to coordinate with their patients' families. Most of the cases they handle are the abuse, bullying, and past traumas of children.

Child care attendant vs child care counselor salary

Child care attendants and child care counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Counselor
Average salary	$27,542	$36,843
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $43,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New Jersey
Best paying company	Lifespan	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Education	Finance

Differences between child care attendant and child care counselor education

There are a few differences between a child care attendant and a child care counselor in terms of educational background:

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	SUNY at Albany

Child care attendant vs child care counselor demographics

Here are the differences between child care attendants' and child care counselors' demographics:

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Counselor
Average age	48	42
Gender ratio	Male, 12.9% Female, 87.1%	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	10%

Differences between child care attendant and child care counselor duties and responsibilities

Child care attendant example responsibilities.

Aid and facilitate higher functioning patients reach their fullest potential while managing behavioral episodes as needed.
Attend to the basic needs of patients, including physical therapy, companionship, food preparation and personal hygiene.
Assist with ADL and transport to Dr's appointments and shopping.
Obtain and evaluate patient medication regimens, allergies, lab values and past/current medication history utilizing electronic medical records.
Assist nurses in placing catheters, emptying and changing bags.
take vitals, give medications, fill oxygen tanks, empty catheters.

Child care counselor example responsibilities.

Train in managing risk and restraining only when need, CPR, and first aid.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Organize and lead regular youth and college bible studies, teaching about prayer and promoting spirituality.

Child care attendant vs child care counselor skills

Common child care attendant skills

CPR, 26%
Customer Service, 24%
Meal Prep, 15%
Vital Signs, 6%
Companionship, 5%
Front Desk, 3%

Common child care counselor skills

CPR, 21%
Child Care, 20%
Behavioral Issues, 11%
Crisis Intervention Techniques, 8%
Direct Supervision, 6%
Mental Health, 5%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Child Care Attendant
Child Care Attendant vs Child Care Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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